Former Georgia teacher Michelle Mickens has settled with the Oglethorpe County School District, ending a Lawsuit she filed after claiming she was unfairly disciplined over social media comments following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
According to Fox News, the agreement was finalized Wednesday after months of litigation stemming from Mickens' suspension from her teaching position.
The Southern Poverty Law Center filed the Lawsuit on Mickens' behalf in October, arguing that the school district violated her constitutional rights after placing her on indefinite leave and encouraging her to resign over posts made on her private Facebook account.
Mickens initially shared a quote she attributed to Kirk that read, "I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights.- Charlie Kirk."
She later responded to a Facebook friend who criticized the post, writing that she did not support political violence while also expressing her opinion about Kirk.
"I don’t condone violence of any kind, and I certainly don’t condone this, but he was a horrible person, a fascist full of hate for anyone who was different," Mickens wrote.
She continued, "While I’m sad that we live in a country where gun violence is an epidemic, the world is a bit safer without him. I didn’t respect him at all, and he’s part of the hatred and vitriolic language we hear so much now. I pray that without him, people can be kinder and more tolerant to one another."
According to the lawsuit, a former classmate later shared screenshots of Mickens' comments on X, prompting complaints to the school district.
Mickens said school administrators initially advised her to delete the post and issue an apology. She later alleged she was instructed to stay home and lost access to her school email before being placed on indefinite leave.
The settlement provides Mickens with approximately $270,420 for alleged emotional distress and an additional $17,080 for attorney fees.
As part of the agreement, she also agreed not to seek employment with the district in the future.
In a statement following the settlement, Southern Poverty Law Center senior supervising attorney Sam Boyd said, "We are pleased to reach a mutually amicable settlement of this matter. As courts across the country have recognized in other cases involving firings over comments about Charlie Kirk and many other topics, 'public school employees, including teachers, have a constitutionally protected right to Free Speech.'"
Mickens' case was one of several involving educators who faced disciplinary action after posting comments about Kirk's death. Since then, some teachers have returned to their jobs following legal challenges or other reviews of their cases.